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Learning to Think Spatially (2006) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
Pages 11-22

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From page 11...
... The work grew out of his concern with the "passivity of knowledge-getting," an approach he saw as depriving students of the thinking that is the reward for learning. Fifth-grade students learned about the geography of the north central states in the United States in one of two ways: One group learned geography as a set of rational acts of induction -- that cities spring up where there is water, where there are natural resources, where there are things to be processed and shipped.
From page 12...
... is to foster a generation of students who are spatially literate, who can match the accepted norms for what should be known about space, representation, and reasoning. Fostering spatial literacy can be achieved only by systemic educational reform, and central to the reform process are members of the four audiences of this report (Section 1.5)
From page 13...
... While both deal with waterborne threats to public health, the key parallels lie in their imaginative treatments of epidemiological data. Mapped patterns of spatial variability in levels of cholera incidence and dissolved arsenic can be understood in terms of the source of drinking water -- in the first case as a function of the differential surface location of the wells and, in the second case, the differential depth of the wells.
From page 14...
... He knew that there were differen tial death rates from cholera throughout London. He also knew that at least two major water companies, the Southwark & Vauxhall Company and the Lambeth Company, provided water to more than 300,000 Londoners.
From page 15...
... If this charge is met successfully, then American students will become more spatially literate. Section 1.4.1 defines the components of spatial literacy, and Section 1.4.2 presents the characteristics of a student who is spatially literate.
From page 16...
... . The re searchers sampled water from 5,971 wells, recording arsenic levels, the position of the well (via a global positioning system [GPS]
From page 17...
... A person proficient in spatial thinking is spatially literate and can match the norms for what should be known about space, representation, and reasoning. These norms are set within a framework derived from Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology (NRC, 2002c)
From page 18...
... A GIS is an integrated system of hardware, software, and procedures designed to support the collection, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of spatially referenced data about Earth's surface in order to solve complex planning and management problems.The power of a GIS is that it allows us to ask questions of data and to perform spatial operations on spatial databases. A GIS can answer five generic questions: Question Type of Task 1.
From page 19...
... As a result of the human genome project, students must learn new representational schemes and develop sophistication in spatial thinking. Tools and technologies support different tasks: concept maps are used for structuring ideas, CAD for design, GIS for geospatial data analysis, and so forth.
From page 20...
... 1.4.2 Three Characteristics of a Spatially Literate Student Spatially literate students who have developed appropriate levels of spatial knowledge and skills in spatial ways of thinking and acting, together with sets of spatial capabilities, · have the habit of mind of thinking spatially -- they know where, when, how, and why to think spatially; · practice spatial thinking in an informed way -- they have a broad and deep knowledge of spatial concepts and spatial representations, a command over spatial reasoning using a variety of spatial ways of thinking and acting, have well-developed spatial capabilities for using supporting tools and technologies; and · adopt a critical stance to spatial thinking -- they can evaluate the quality of spatial data based on their source, likely accuracy, and reliability; they can use spatial data to construct, articulate, and defend a line of reasoning or point of view in solving problems and answering questions; and they can evaluate the validity of arguments based on spatial information. The committee believes that students can derive pleasure from thinking spatially.
From page 21...
... Given the rapid change in supporting tools and technologies, therefore, spatially literate students must be lifelong learners. 1.6 STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT In Part I, "The Nature and Function of Spatial Thinking" (Chapters 2 through 6)


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